Why Does PAGG Work So Well?

I hear the question “Does PAGG work?” pretty often these days. And it’s not a hard question to answer. But one that came up recently was ‘Why does PAGG work so well?’ – and I wasn’t well prepared for that one. So, I decided to investigate and little further, and get to the bottom of it. Here’s what I found.

After I waded through the myriad of websites offering all kinds of shady-looking fly-by-night fake bottle images, I started thinking that it was a shame such a high quality supplement combination was starting to get tarnished by these ‘used car salesmen’ of the internet. It seems like there’s countless websites that now feature Photoshopped bottle images, with little more than text copy and pasted from the book, or worse yet, from one of the (few) reputable PAGG supplement companies.

Taking a moment to wish the internet was a safer place for consumers to shop, I got down to business – finding out exactly how and why this supplement works so well.

But of course, you don’t need to take my word for it, there’s the people who have emailed me, the coaching clients who have noticed a difference on their off-week, and of course the thousands of people who have bought PAGG again, after using it.

Personally, I have found that fat levels are much easier to maintain (at a low point) while I’m taking it, and after one experiment, I was genuinely shocked at the result. That saw my sticking to the slow carb diet 100% for around 4 months (including moderate cheat days), while taking PAGG, and then having a great cheat day without taking PAGG. The result? My fat cells were actually painful. Sounds crazy, but a reader backed me up on this – he has experienced the same thing after an extended period of time on a low carb diet, when he did a ‘refeed’ to excess. This suggests to me that for that entire time, my fat cells were much less active – ie – rarely taking on more fat, and that the cheat day finally resulted in their expanding, and my soreness the next day.

So why does it work so well? Is there a magic secret to the formula? Is it only in this combination that these ingredients work?

Well, there’s simple answers to all of the above.

It works well because each ingredient has a specific purpose that helps either limit fat gain, helps increase fat cells emptying, or helps divert food energy away from fat cells, and into muscle cells.

There isn’t a magic secret to the formula – however the amount recommended for each supplement was derived by testing results. Of course, I can’t claim responsibility for this rigorous testing, but I can report that various amounts were tested and the recommended levels of ingredients were found to be the most effective.

Realistically speaking, these ingredients do work by themselves – each one of them. However, there is a compounding effect when they are used together, and this is why it’s suggested that they are used in combination with each other, rather than, for example, only taking garlic, or just taking alpha-lipoic acid.

Why 4 ingredients?

This is a question that is asked, for a good reason. There’s a lot of information online about Alpha-Lipoic Acid, in particular, and how those lifting weights have been using it for around a decade now. Alpha-Lipoic Acid mimics insulin on muscle cells, and for that reason, the body stores more carbohydrate-derived energy in the muscle cells, and in the liver, rather than in the fat cells. This is very good news for those wanting to lose weight, and also good for those working out to gain muscle.

Maybe this would be enough by itself you ask? Well it would get you some results. Realistically however, the one-two punch is delivered with the addition of Green Tea Extract – at quite a high dose (compared with other diet tablets that offer green tea extract as an ingredient). The flavanols from Green Tea inhibit the storage of carbohydrate in fat cells, as well as encouraging fat cells to die off. There’s also some research that indicates Green Tea Flavanols act on the Brown Adipose Tissue – BAT – which controls the burning of White Adipose Tissue (what you see on your body) for energy and heat production. (This is the same BAT that is affected if you take an icey cold shower).

So then, taking Green Tea Extract and ALA could be enough to help you on your fat loss path then? This again, is true, but it’s not going to deliver the complete and most effective result.

So, added to these two are garlic and policosanol. Garlic extract, especially aged garlic extract appears to slow or halt fat regain, which is especially helpful for cheat days, but also good insurance for any day where we might eat a bit extra, eat very quickly, or get stuck and have to eat at odd times, causing a shift in metabolism. The Policosanol, derived from sugar cane alcohols, affect fat metabolism and is included once per day based on Tim Ferriss’ personal experience and testing.

That’s a lot of tablets!

It is. And in fact, taking any of the above in tablet form decreases absorption and availability.

That’s why I always recommend people take a capsule form of any vitamin supplement.

And the sheer number of pills is why I have always used an all-in-one, combined capsule of PAGG. I haven’t had the patience or the time to research the quality of 4 different ingredients. So, I found a nutrition company I trusted, who does their own independent research and uses only the highest quality ingredients, and I put my faith in them, because it’s their business to ensure their product is the best.

Do I need it?

No. No one needs it. But then again, you might not need fat loss really. You might be healthy enough, hanging around for another few decades. But the question I ask myself is if I can use strategies, techniques and supplements that can enhance my life beyond a ‘need’ level. I am looking for a premium life experience, not a mediocre one. So I don’t base decisions on the ‘minimum required’ – I want the most out of life!

That’s why I got out of my way to help people, to make the extra effort and use the best things in my life.

The reality is that using PAGG has helped me maintain a very low bodyfat level, and it helped me get down to that level. It means I can think a little less around food prep and meal planning, and still have a great insurance policy against any fat regain. For fat loss, it’s the extra boost, or the additional help that you’d love to have. If you were walking up a steep hill, with a huge backpack on, wouldn’t you like someone else to carry your tent? Having support when you’re making a strong effort makes life smoother, easier and you get to where you’re headed more quickly.

Let me know if you’ve had success with PAGG, or if you have any other questions about it by leaving a comment below!

The PAGG link on the side of this page and elsewhere on this website link to Pareto Nutrition’s All in one PAGG capsule – The Four Hour Body Couple receives monetary compensation for these sales and this is the only PAGG supplement we personally recommend and trust to take ourselves, as we believe in the quality of the ingredients, and the integrity of the owners of this company.

Absolutely! People definitely lose weight with the Slow Carb Diet alone. PAGG is designed to enhance the weight loss effect. The best way to see it’s effectiveness is to have established a baseline trend for fat loss. So, for someone who is aiming to lose, for example 40 pounds – after a couple of months they will have a good sense of how much they lose, on average, per week. If they then take PAGG for 4 weeks, and check their average losses, then they will see the difference.
As I mentioned, some people noticed a difference in fat loss when they take a week off PAGG also, which is a good indicator. Personally, I have noticed a different when losing, maintaining, and eating over my maintenance level of calories to gain muscle – it’s easier to lose, maintain and gain muscle without gaining a lot of fat while taking PAGG.

Not only did I find that I lost weight while taking PAGG, I also found that I was less likely to deviate from the diet so it had a 2fold effective for me. Maybe its the added cost element that helps – i.e. more commitment on my side so more to lose if i don’t make it work?

But it definitely worked on the level of making me less hungry while on SCD along with reaching cartosis quicker following cheat days (typically 2 days) as aposed to 3-4 days (or not) when not on PAGG.

I used a self put together blend but can see the advantages in convenience of taking a pre-designed mix.

Hi Stuart,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
This is a comment made by quite a few people actually, and has been used in other bodybuilding/weight loss circles as an extra level of commitment.
Achieving ketosis faster is definitely a common occurrence – as the ALA specifically helps this happen.

I AM 41YO FEMALE, have been eating animal (EGGS, CHICKEN, SOME FISH, SOME LEAN RED MEAT) protein with every meal, tons of spinach and veggies etc, taking pagg, with cheat day one day per week for 3 weeks, HIIT TRAINING 3X WEEK, WEIGHT TRAINING 2X WEEK, LONG CARDIO 2X WEEK, AND I HAVE GAINED 3 POUNDS. I DO FASTED WORKOUTS IN THE MORNING, AND WORK 3RD SHIFT WHICH MAKES CONSISTENCY IN TIMING ETC DIFFICULT. PLEASE HELP. FRUSTRATED.

Hey,
You’re working out too much.
Cut back to a maximum of 4 sessions, total, per week, especially if you can’t recover/get sleep/have regular schedules. Even try 2-3. If your workouts are high quality, there’s no need for such volume. Your body needs time to recover – right now you’re trying to beat it to lose weight. The healthier you are – and the less stress hormones you have in your body – the easier fat loss is.
You didn’t mention beans at meals – if you’re not including beans, then you’re on a low carb diet, but you’re missing the critical ingredient of fat. Eat the beans, or convert to Atkins.

The fact that I bought the 4HB as soon as it came out, read it cover to cover, then ordered PAGG and counted out pills for months and never had the business sense to recognize that there was an opportunity in a pre-made PAGG stack really frustrates me. Anyhow, excellent site that I’ll keep in my RSS feed!

Hah! Well Mike, recognizing it at one point in time gives you the learning experience for that skill to perhaps allow you to move early on something else in the future!
Cheers, and glad to be in your reader
Luke

There would be some, as the effects of PAGG are on the meal around which it is taken. So, taken around cheat meals, it will have some impact. Realistically though, it will be hard to measure, all things considered, across weeks of this practice, as compared to if you weren’t doing it, because all the testing done has been with people using PAGG 6 days a week.

Not that I have heard. The exception being people who order their own mix (online usually) and get green tea capsules that are not decaffeinated. That’ll give you some sleep problems. I recommend the all in one preparation that’s advertised on this site – I use it personally and have met and interviewed the founders of the company.

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